Comprehending Speech Genres for the Listening Classroom

Abstract

Every day we produce different kinds of spoken texts according to our purposes for using language. These spoken texts serve important pragmatic, interaction, or interpersonal purposes. To ensure successful communication and personal effectiveness, language learners need to develop competent listening and speaking skills that will enable them to comprehend and produce various types of spoken discourses. This chapter explains processes involved in second language listening and various features of speech and spoken texts. Teachers need a good understanding of the nature and characteristics of various types of spoken discourse and incorporate this knowledge into their teaching. Sensitizing learners to key differences between spoken and written language will also ensure that they produce speech that sounds more natural as well as enabling them to listen to and understand different kinds of spoken texts.